CHINA’S crackdown on fan culture is aimed at maintaining public order and will not affect its relations with any country, the Chinese Embassy in South Korea said Wednesday.

The Chinese Government has launched a multi-pronged crackdown on the irregularities in the entertainment industry and the “chaotic” celebrity fan culture, and its influence on young people and social order.

The embassy said it was responding to concern in South Korean media about the campaign, which has led to Chinese social media platforms suspending accounts set up by Chinese fans of South Korean pop stars.

“China’s actions are aimed at all words and deeds that may impact public order, customs as well as laws and regulations, and will not affect normal exchanges between China and any country,” the embassy said in a statement.

The embassy said South Korean media was “worried about the impact of cultural exchanges between China and South Korea and even believe that China’s relevant measures are aimed at South Korea.”

China’s Weibo social media platform this week suspended more than 20 fan accounts for major K-pop acts such as BTS, Blackpink and EXO, saying that they were spreading “irrational star chasing content.”

Among these was the Chinese fan club of K-pop boy band TBS member Jimin. The social media giant Sept. 5 banned the account, Jimin Bar, from posting for 60 days, saying it had violated its rules with its crowdfunding campaign to raise funds to celebrate Jimin’s 26th birthday Oct. 13.

The fan club had raised a record-breaking 1 million yuan (US$154,800) in three minutes when it launched its campaign in April and had collected 2.3 million yuan after one hour.

With the money raised, the fan club collaborated with South Korean airline Jeju Air to customize the exterior of a plane from Sept. 1 to Nov. 30.

In addition, the fan club had also taken out advertisements which will appear in The New York Times in the United States and The Times in Britain on Jimin’s birthday.

On its Twitter account, it claimed this will be “the world’s first fan support to appear in both The New York Times and The Times at the same time with the largest scale and promotion.”

The eyebrow-raising move drew hot debate and criticism on China’s social media platforms. “Weibo firmly opposes such irrational star-chasing behavior and will deal with it seriously,” a Weibo statement said.

In a notice released by the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) in August, CAC ordered internet platforms to draw up clear and strict guidelines for celebrity agents regarding online account registration, posts, commercial promotion, emergency public relations and fan management.

The authority said that when fans express support for their idols through bad language or false claims about other celebrities, internet platforms must remove such posts promptly and harshly punish those that post them.

Online communities, groups, and channels that cause disturbances, including those that encourage fans to raise money for celebrities or share gossip about them, will be cleaned up and shut down, the advisory said.

Online programs and talent shows are also forbidden from encouraging fans to pay to vote for contestants. Streaming giant iQiyi announced Aug. 25 that it is suspending its talent competitions for the next few years and canceling other shows’ online voting segments.

(SD-Agencies)